Echinacea plant named ‘Secret Affair’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Echinacea  plant named ‘Secret Affair’ characterized by enlarged disc florets forming an anemone-type inflorescence, deep pink disc and ray florets, a medium sized, mounding habit with good stem count and branching, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Echinacea spp.

Variety designation: ‘Secret Affair’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea and given the cultivar name ‘Secret Affair’. Echinacea is in the family Asteraceae. This new cultivar is a fifth generation seeding originating from a planned breeding program using Echinacea paradoxa (an unpatented plant) as the seed parent in the original cross and Echinacea purpurea ‘Ruby Giant’ (an unpatented plant) as the pollen parent. The exact parents of this selection are unknown, unnamed, proprietary plants.

Compared to Echinacea ‘Gum Drop’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,132), the new cultivar is much shorter and has darker ray florets.

Compared to Echinacea ‘Razzmatazz’ (an unpatented plant) the new cultivar has larger, darker pink flowers and a much smaller habit.

This new Echinacea cultivar is distinguished by:

-   -   1. enlarged disc florets forming an anemone-type inflorescence,     -   2. deep pink disc and ray florets,     -   3. a medium sized, mounding habit with good stem count and         branching, and     -   4. excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows the inflorescences of Echinacea ‘Secret Affair’ on a one-and-a-half-year-old plant growing in the garden in full sun in late August in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Echinacea cultivar based on observations of a one-and-a-half-year-old plant growing in the garden in full sun in late July in Canby, Oreg. Canby is in Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to an average of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year in the trial fields in Canby, Oreg. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:     -   -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zones 4 to 9.         -   Size.—Grows to about 42 cm wide and 56 cm tall to top of             inflorescences.         -   Form.—Basal clump, with about 25 stems from the crown.         -   Vigor.—Excellent.         -   Roots.—Fibrous, with many downward growing and few laterals,             ivory in color, Yellow White 158D, roots develop easily from             cuttings from the crown. -   Stem (flowering):     -   -   Type.—Ascending, with 1 to 4 inflorescences per stem.         -   Size.—To 53 cm tall to a terminal inflorescence and 6 mm             wide at base.         -   Internode length.—2 cm to 5 cm.         -   Surface texture.—Strigose.         -   Color.—Yellow Green 146C. -   Leaf (basal):     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Shape.—Lanceolate.         -   Arrangement.—Basal.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 13 cm long and 5.5 cm wide.         -   Margins.—Coarsely serrate.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Surface texture.—Strigose on both sides.         -   Venation.—Pinnate, with 3 main veins, veins Yellow Green             146C.         -   Color.—Topside Green 137A bottom side closest to Yellow             Green 147B.         -   Petiole description.—Grows to 24 cm long and 5 mm wide,             strigose, Yellow Green 146C lightly tinted Greyed Purple             187A, strongly tinted 187A at base. -   Leaf (stem):     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Shape.—Lanceolate.         -   Arrangement.—Alternate.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 8 cm long and 4 cm wide.         -   Margins.—Coarsely serrate.         -   Apex.—Acute to acuminate.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Surface texture.—Strigose on both sides.         -   Venation.—Pinnate, with 3 main veins from the base, veins             Yellow Green 146C.         -   Color.—Topside Yellow Green 137A, bottom side closest to             Yellow Green 147B.         -   Petiole description.—On all but upper leaves, clasping,             grows to 3.5 cm long and 6 mm wide above the clasp,             strigose, both sides Yellow Green 147D in the middle,             topside leaf sides Yellow Green 137A with base tinted Greyed             Purple 187A, bottom side leaf side closest to Yellow Green             147B. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Composite on terminal stalked heads.         -   Number of flowering stems from the ground.—About 25.         -   Flowering stem.—Grows to 53 cm tall from the base of the             plant to the terminal inflorescence and can grow to 18 cm             long from the top stem leaf to the base of an inflorescence;             branched with 1 to 4 inflorescences per stem; diameter             growing to 8 mm wide near the inflorescence; strigose;             Yellow Green 146C.         -   Size.—Grows to 9.5 cm wide and 6 cm deep as disc enlarges.         -   Form.—Ray florets held slightly reflexed, mature disc is             conic.         -   Immature inflorescence.—Grows to 2.5 cm wide and 2 cm deep,             ray florets held at a 60 degree angle from the horizontal             and rolled up so only the back color shows, florets Red             Purple 64A with tips Yellow Green 145D.         -   Ray florets.—About 20 in number, grow to 47 mm long and 8 mm             wide, oblanceolate with the tip two to three-toothed (each             acute), entire margins, base attenuate, glabrous on both             sides; topside closest to Red Purple 64A, bottom side Purple             N77B; each with 1 pistil, ovary 3 mm long, White 155A, style             6 mm long, Greyed Purple 187B, 2-branched stigma spreading,             Greyed Purple 187A.         -   Disc.—Flat becoming globe-like, growing to 45 mm deep and 60             mm wide with maturity, Red Purple 71A.         -   Disc florets.—About 200 in number, each with 1 pistil and 4             stamen, grow to 24 mm long and 5 mm to 9 mm wide, each with             one persistent, very stiff linear bract (12 mm long with the             top 1 mm colored Greyed Purple 187A, blending to next 2 mm             Orange 26A then 5 mm Yellow Green 144A in middle, then             Yellow Green 145D on bottom); corollas 20 mm long and 5 mm             to 9 mm wide, tubular at base for 3 mm (N77C) then spreads             out like a fan with two to four teeth or lobes, teeth             usually 2 mm deep and 1.5 mm wide, lobes to 10 mm long 1.5             mm wide, acute tip, glabrous on both sides, entire margins,             topside Red Purple 71A, bottom side Purple N77B; pistil 10             mm long, ovary 4 mm long, White 155A, style 6 mm long Greyed             Purple 187B, 2-branched stigma spreading, Greyed Purple             187A; stamen 4 mm long, filaments 4 mm long, threadlike,             Yellow Green 145D, anthers none, pollen none.         -   Phyllaries.—In 4 leafy series, area grows to 28 mm wide and             10 mm deep, lobes lanceolate in shape, reflexed, grow to 10             mm long and 2.5 mm wide, Green 137A, margins strigose, tip             acute, strigose on both sides.         -   Receptacle.—Grows to 14 mm wide and 14 mm deep, White             NN155B.         -   Bloom period.—July through October in Canby, Oreg.         -   Fragrance.—Light.         -   Lastingness.—Each inflorescence lasts about two weeks in             Canby, Oreg.         -   Seeds.—Not seen.         -   Fertility.—Poor. -   Disease and pests: No pests or diseases have been observed on plants     grown under commercial conditions in Canby, Oreg. No resistances are     known. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Echinacea plant as herein illustrated and described. 